Railway switch operating mechanism



No. 626,662. Patented June I3, I899.

A. w. BAKER.

RAILWAY SWITCH OPERATING MECHANISM.

(Application filed. Mar. 7, 1898.)

(No Model.)

WITNESSES.-

UNITED STATES AUGUST \VILLAM BAKER, OF CLEVELAND, QHIL A PATENT OFFICE.

RAlLWAY-SWlTCH-OPERATING MECHANISM.

[SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 626,662, dated June13, 1899.

Application filed March 7, 1898- To (0 whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, AUGUST WILLAM BA- KER, a subject of Her Majesty theQueen of Great Britain, and a resident-of Cleveland, in the county ofCuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Railway Switch Operating Mechanism, of which thefollowing is a specification.

My invention relates to apparatus for the automatic throwing ofrailway-switches, and is especially adapted for use in connection withelectric street-railways having an overhead-conductor system. Signaldevices indicating the position of the switch to the motorman of anapproaching car are provided, and I employ devices whereby a swinging1ever or car-arm may be elevated by the motorman to engage a trip on theoverhead system, so that the moving car will automatically throw theswitch.

The following is a full, clear, and exact description of my invention,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of thisspecification, in which- Figure 1 is a broken elevation, partly insection, showing a street-car system provided with my improved switchmechanism. Fig. 2 is a detail view showingone of the bellcrank leversand connecting-rods I employ. Fig. 3 is a side elevation showing thevertical crank-shaft, at the lower end portion of which the trip-armsare attached. Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the car, showing the carlever or arm. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the cararm journal. Figs.6 and 7 are diagrammatic views showing the relative position of themovable arm of the switch to the position of the arms of the trip. Fig.Sis a top plan view of the signal device I employ.

In the drawings, 2 represents a lever pivoted to the car-roof at 3 andhaving a long arm 2, which may be elevated by the motorman for thepurpose of engaging either of the right-angled arms 4; and 5 of the tripdevice.

(iis a Vertical crank-shaft, to the lower end portion of which the tripis attached. This crank-shaft is journaled in plates 7 7 and 8 8,clamped to the cables 9 9, supported transversely over the track bypoles 10. A rod 11 connects the vertical crank-shaft 6 with one arm of abell-crank lever 12, the other arm Serial No. 672,849. (No model.)

being connected by a rod 13, extending within the hollow pole to asecond bell-crank lever 14 beneath the grade of the tracks. To the lever14 is pivoted a rod 15, connected with and actuating the movable memberof the switch 16.

The vertical operating-crank 6 is provided with collars or burs 17 17,(shown in Fig. 3,) holding the crank in position in the journalplates,which plates are held in position on the supporting-cables by the bolt18 18. To prevent the binding of the crank-arm shaft in its journals, astay-rod 19, having collars 20, is employed, which serves to hold thejournal-plates in the same relative position to each other. 4

It will be seen that when the movable bar of the switch is in such aposition as to divert the car from the course desired the driver of thecar has only to raise the lever-arm 2 as the car approaches theys witch.The upper curved end of the arm 2 will engage the triparm as the carmoves forward, swinging the vertical crank-shaft, which by means of thebell-crank levers and the connecting-rods throws the switch-bar beforethe wheels of the car reach the switch.

The crank 6. is designed to be so coupled up with the movable switch-bar16 that a quarter-revolution of the crank will effect a complete throwof the switch.

The two trip-arms at and 5 are placed at right angles to each other, asshown in Figs. 6 and 7, and are preferably curved to insure the completethrowing of the switch. The trip-arms are so attached to the verticalcrank that when the switch is completely thrown one of the arms will bein a transverse position to the line of the track, as shown in Figs. 6and 7, and the other arm'of the trip shall be on the opposite side ofthe vertical shaft from that on which a main-line car would approach totake the switch. As only a quarter-revolution of the vertical crank isnecessary to throw the switch, it will be apparent that one of thetrip-arms will be in a transverse position to the line of the track atall times irrespective of the position of the switch-bar and thatwhether the switch maybe open to the main line or to the siding it willbe automatically shifted if the motorman of the approaching car raisesthe lever 2.

- (shown in Fig. 5,) upon which the car-arm 2 is journaled. This rod issupported by the hooks 22 22, attached tothe front of the car andseparated sufliciently so as to permit of a lateral movement of theear-arm, thus enabling the motorman to engage with the arm the trip-armon either side of the vertical crank.

It will be obvious that as the trip-arm is on one side of the verticalcrank in one position of the switch-bar and on the other side of thevertical crank in the other position of the switch the position of thetriprarm will indicate to the motorman the position of the switch-bar.

While the trip-arm is a sufficient target to indicate the position ofthe switch-bar during the daytime, it might be invisible to themotornlan at night, and a lamp-signal device is accordingly provided. Itconsists of a plate 23, attached to a collar 24, loosely surrounding theupper portion of the'stay-rod 19. Upon the top of the plate is placed alantern 25, designed to inclose an incandescent lamp, two of theopposite faces of the said lantern being provided with colored glass.

A crank-arm 26 is attached to the top end portion of the'crank-shaft 6,the end of the said crank-arm being connected by a rod 27 with themovable plate 23, causing the said plate to make a half-revolution ateach quarter-revolution of the vertical crank. It will be apparent thatat night a colored or a White light will be displayed, aceordin g to theposition of the switch-bar.

The etficiency of the device will be apparent to those skilled in theart.

Many changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of theparts without departing from my invention, since I clain1 In arailway-switell-operating mechanism a vertically-extending crank-shaftcarried in stationary bearings over the track having at least twocrank-arms extending horizontally at an angle to each other, connectionsbetween the crank-shaft and the switch and a movable car-arm arranged toengage and actuate either of said crankarms.

Signedby me, at Cleveland, Ohio, this 5th day of March, 1898.

AUGUST W'ILLAM BAKER.

\Vitnesses:

DAVID B. CARPENTER, CHAs. F. LEWVIS.

